Girls' name · since 1901
Kaye
Since 1901, U.S. Social Security records show 13,204 babies named Kaye, peaking in 1947. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,403 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #6,340 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 13,204
- born since 1901
- 1940s
- peak decade
Yes -- Kaye is the #6340 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 13,204 recorded since 1901.
Social Security Administration records show Kaye recorded 13,204 times among girls since 1901, holding rank #6340 nationally today, ahead of 63% of girls, peaking in the 1940s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1901 to 2025.
- #1,403 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #6,340 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 13,204 born since 1901
- 1940s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kaye ranks #1,403 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,340 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 13,204 born since 1901, peaking in the 1940s.
- #1,403 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #6,340 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 13,204
- born since 1901
- 1940s
- peak decade
Kaye's 13,204 recorded births place it above 98.06% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
37 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Michigan.
How Kaye compares
13,204 Top 8% higher than 92% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Kaye's all-time total is 35x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kaye | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 13,204 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 538 | 21 | 19,840 |
Kaye's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kaye's full recorded timeline at 1966, 14% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 86% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2011, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1947 peak of 538 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kaye popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1901–2025
- Peak year (1947)
- 538
- Annual births at peak, across 125 years of records
Kaye popularity over time - boys
503 total births recorded since 1920 (Kaye as boys' name)
Kaye by decade
1940s is the heaviest window (4,334 births, 33% of the file).
1940s was Kaye's strongest decade.
4,334 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Kaye births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 18
1900s
18 births
- 1910s 181
1910s
181 births
- 1920s 293
1920s
293 births
- 1930s 1,442
1930s
1,442 births
- 1940s
1940s
4,334 births
- 1950s
1950s
3,537 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,008 births
- 1970s 495
1970s
495 births
- 1980s 374
1980s
374 births
- 1990s 209
1990s
209 births
- 2000s 138
2000s
138 births
- 2010s 101
2010s
101 births
- 2020s 74
2020s
74 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 4,334 births (33% of all-time use).
How Kaye compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Kaye's total volume
Kaye by state
Where Kaye concentrates geographically, total births since 1901
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Michigan | | 789 | 6.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 701 | 5.3% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 591 | 4.5% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 587 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Wisconsin | | 542 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 513 | 3.9% |
| #7 | California | | 509 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Utah | | 468 | 3.5% |
789 of 13,204 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 37 reporting states.
Kaye appears in 37 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kaye? ▼
Where does Kaye sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Kaye most popular? ▼
Where is Kaye most popular? ▼
How long has the name Kaye been used? ▼
What names are similar to Kaye? ▼
What to do with Kaye's data
- Kaye's decade-level peak was the 1940s (4,334 total births); usage has since declined to 74 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Michigan records the most Kayes (789 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Michigan names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kaye
Nearby Names Like Kaye
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kaye
Compare Kaye side by side: Kaye vs Kayla Kaye vs Kaylee Kaye vs Kay
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kaye
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kaye: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1947)
Similar record span (~124 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1901–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Kaye draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.